Jo Brand, 61, was pictured looking in high spirits as she made her way to Henley-on-Thames this afternoon. Having joked she would prefer to see politicians subjected to “battery acid” being thrown on them as opposed to milkshake, in the wake of Nigel Farage, 55, being splashed with the drink whilst campaigning last month, she declined to apologise for her remarks, according to The Sun. Speaking outside her home, she told the publication: “I think if they [critics] want an answer, there have been plenty of explanations by the BBC and Victoria Coren.

“I’m not employed by the BBC, so how can they sack me?” she added.

Brand reportedly refused to apologise for the remarks once again when she arrived in Henley-on-Thames to perform at the Henley Literature Festival.

She insisted: “Freedom of speech is extremely important in comedy.”

The comedian was snapped smiling as she made her way to the festival, dressed in all black and sheltering from the rain under an umbrella.

The controversy surrounding Jo Brand’s “battery acid” joke stemmed from her appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Heresy, which is hosted by Victoria Coren Mitchell, 46.

Speaking about the state of UK politics, she said “certain unpleasant characters” were being brought into the limelight, adding: “And they’re very, very easy to hate and I’m kind of thinking, why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?

“That’s just me. I’m not going to do it, it’s purely a fantasy, but I think milkshakes are pathetic, I honestly do,” she continued. “Sorry.”

Yesterday, Coren Mitchell tweeted her 427,000 followers warning: “Beware the clip going round that deliberately cuts off the part where Jo openly spells out that she’s joking and doesn’t mean it.”

She also attached a link to the full programme.

Farage, meanwhile, called the comments an “incitement of violence” and said: “The police need to act.”

The Prime Minister, Theresa May, 62, called on the BBC to explain their decision to air the comments.

A spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister has been repeatedly clear that politicians should be able to go about their work and campaign without harassment, intimidation or abuse.

“I note that Brendan Cox has said that violence and intimidation should not be normalised and we should consistently stand against it.

“The Prime Minister shares this view,” they said. “It is for the BBC to explain why it considers this to have been appropriate content for broadcast.”

The BBC defended airing the clip, with a spokesperson saying: “Heresy is a long-running comedy programme where, as the title implies and as our listeners know, panellists often say things which are deliberately provocative and go against societal norms but are not intended to be taken seriously.”

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